Mock drills in all 8 Tripura districts tomorrow with civil defence volunteers, home guards, TSR jawans
The mock drill also comes amid a suggestion by former Border Guard Bangladesh chief ALM Fazlur Rahman, who is known to be close to Chief Advisor Muhammad Yunus, that Bangladesh should occupy the seven Northeast states if India attacks Pakistan.
Speaking to reporters, Tripura Home Secretary Brijesh Pandey said a meeting was held with officials from the Ministry of Home Affairs on Tuesday regarding the mock drill to be held across 244 civil defence districts of the country to strengthen civil defence mechanisms in the event of an emergency or a hostile attack.
'Civil defence volunteers, apada mitra, home guards, Tripura State Rifles (TSR) jawans and others will participate in the mock drills. The district disaster management authorities will lead the drill… Our main objective is to test preparedness, check efficacy, ability to coordinate with different civil defence units, and other government departments,' Pandey said.
'We have trained civil defence volunteers in all eight districts. This drill will focus on the air raid siren, sirens for evacuation operations, first aid and medical aid, fire fighting and restoration of disrupted services like drinking water, power, etc… We hope people will cooperate and there is nothing to panic about,' the official said.
West Tripura District Magistrate Vishal Kumar said that in Agartala, the mock drill would be conducted at the Umakanta Academy grounds from 3:30 pm to 6 pm. The air raid sirens will be sounded at 4.30 pm and at 5.30 pm, an earthquake-like scenario will be created at IGM Chowmuhani, Chowmuhani Fire Brigade, and GBP Hospital in the Bazar area.
Agartala is among the Indian state capitals closest to the international border and has an integrated check post within the municipality.
Veterans who witnessed the 1971 war have recalled on numerous occasions how Pakistani forces unleashed shelling on the bordering areas, including in Agartala city.
Tripura is surrounded by Bangladesh on three sides along an 856-km border, parts of which are still unfenced owing to local disputes.
Tripura played a crucial role in the nine-month-long Bangladesh Liberation War against the Pakistani forces, which concluded after the Mukti Bahini led by Sheikh Mujibar Rahman declared independence on March 26, 1971.
A state that then had 15 lakh people, Tripura sheltered nearly 14 lakh East Pakistani refugees, ran at least eight major Muktijoddha (liberation warrior) training camps, and fed and attended to 1.5 million refugees for months with support from the central government.
By the 1960s, Tripura had virtually become one of the headquarters of Bangladeshi liberation planning and activity and a haven for liberation war refugees apart from Bengal in those days, not to mention the historic Agartala conspiracy case involving Sheikh Mujibur Rahman's 1963 visit to the Tripura capital and subsequent discussions with then chief minister Sachindra Lal Singha. The visit led to the toppling of then Pakistan president Ayub Khan, added tempo to the rebel activities of the Muktibahini, and eventually played a key role in the birth of an independent Bangladesh.
A Bangladesh government in exile was formed at the Agartala Circuit House on April 10, 1971. Swadhin Bangla Betar Kendra was also formed in Agartala.
India and Bangladesh officially share friendly relations, though people have of late been taking out border rallies protesting over various issues, especially since the fall of the New Delhi -friendly Sheikh Hasina regime in Dhaka.
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